Wire conveyor belts are commonly used for conveying articles during cooling, drying, coating, cooking, and many other applications. In one particular application, wire belts are used to convey food, articles during cooking or processing of the food. Wire belts are advantageous for food processing because they provide an open flow through mesh, a high degree of flexibility, a sanitary construction, simple installation and maintenance, and the ability to be positively driven. A conventional wire belt typically includes a plurality of wire strands or links interlocked or joined together to form an endless conveyor belt. One way of interlocking the wire links is by weaving the individual wire links with an adjacent wire link in the wire belt. To form an endless wire conveyor belt, a splice connection must be made between at least two of the wire links in the wire belt.
The splice connections used in wire belts have often presented a number of problems with respect to the strength of the wire belt and the installation of the splice connection. In one example, splice clips are used to provide a connection between wire links being spliced together in the wire belt. Using splice clips often leaves a gap between the wire links, allowing the products being conveyed to fall through the wire belt. In another example, a splice connection is made using a full wire strand that is woven between the wire links being spliced together. The full strand is difficult to install because the strand must be bent as it is woven. Moreover, bending the strand often distorts and weakens the strand, resulting in a wire belt that is susceptible to failure or breakage.
Accordingly, a need exists for a wire connection system that can more easily be interlocked and connected without excessively distorting and damaging the wire strands. In particular, a need exists for a wire belt splicing system that does not leave a gap in the wire belt and that does not require excessive bending of the splicing links when the splice connection is made and which can be easily cleaned to meet food conveying standards.